__________________The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth GalbraithWe must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere.Elie Wiesel

Very good information but one thing you should consider including is the height of the actual observation decks as opposed to the total height of the buildings/structures themselves, in some cases like the Empire State Building and original World Trade Center south tower there are/were two decks.

Me too, 30 Rock is awesome! And you have to love the view of the Empire State Building, it's hella nice. I also managed to get some really up close and personal shots of the XYZ Buildings from up there.

__________________
"Build me to the heavens, and Life never stops"
"Live as if the world were as it should be, to show it what it can be"
-Angel
"Prayers are fleeting and wars are forgotten, but what is built endures"
-Ambassador DeLenn, Babylon 5

Port Authority, With Eye on Income, Will Pick Firm for Trade Center Observatory

By CHARLES V. BAGLI
March 19, 2013

Quote:

New York’s newest and tallest observation deck will offer an interactive immersion in all things New York as it shuttles visitors 102 floors into the sky and provides panoramic views of the city and beyond, from the harbor to Westchester County, Long Island, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

A projected 3.5 million visitors a year to the three-level observatory at 1 World Trade Center will be able see the history of New York City on video screens, punch up the number of available seats for a Broadway show or a Yankees game, and glimpse Rockefeller Center, the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, West Point and MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. When the observatory opens more than 1,230 feet above Vesey Street in 2015, it will take its place among the highest decks in the nation, passing the one at the Empire State Building by a few feet but falling roughly 10 stories short of Chicago’s Willis Tower Skydeck.

At its board meeting on Wednesday, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is expected to approve a 15-year deal with Legends Hospitality Management to operate the observation deck that, officials say, could generate as much as $875 million in revenue for the authority over the life of the contract.

The contract is yet another indication that the 1,776-foot tower is nearing completion, a symbol of what officials say is the resilience of New York after the 2001 attack on the trade center. Port Authority officials view the deal as vindication for erecting one of the most expensive office towers built in the United States, at more than $3 billion.

Legends, the company that runs marketing, merchandising and luxury boxes for the earthbound stadiums of the New York Yankees and the Dallas Cowboys, will be in charge of New York’s highest perch. Although it has no experience running observation decks, Legends has guaranteed the Port Authority an annual rent and a percentage of revenues. It has also brought in Phil Hettema of the Hettema Group, who developed the Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man and other theme park attractions for Universal, to design the three-story attraction, which will cost about $62 million.

Legends, led by David W. Checketts, the former president of Madison Square Garden, won a fierce competition to run the observatory, outbidding seven rivals, including Montparnasse 56 USA, an affiliate of a French firm that runs observatories in Paris and Berlin and at the John Hancock Tower in Chicago.

Observatories, once an afterthought for every tall tower, have become a lucrative business. Indeed, the Empire State Building observation decks drew over four million visitors last year and generated net income of $60.6 million in 2011.

If all goes according to plan, Port Authority officials expect the new observation deck in Lower Manhattan to account for a hefty 40 percent of the revenue from 1 World Trade Center.

But there is also lots of tower-top competition for visitors to New York City and the payments to the Port Authority will depend on a steady stream of visitors. The Related Companies announced last year that it had designed a multilevel observatory with an outdoor terrace for its planned 1,300-foot skyscraper at Hudson Yards on the West Side. It is unclear, however, when that tower will be built.

Top of the Rock, the observation deck at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Midtown, reopened in 2005 and now draws about 2.5 million patrons. The better known Empire State Building, which has observatories on the 86th and 102nd floors, operates at capacity during peak holiday periods.

It is unlikely, experts say, that tourists will visit more than one observatory. Downtown, the Statue of Liberty, the September 11 Memorial and Museum and Wall Street will vie with 1 World Trade Center for their attention.

At 1 World Trade Center, visitors will enter one of five dedicated elevators that rise to the 102nd floor, where there will be an “experiential” theater presentation, which opens up to reveal the views, and an event space for private parties. There will be a restaurant and gift shop on the 101st floor and another observation deck on the 100th floor.

__________________NEW YORK. World's capital.

“Office buildings are our factories – whether for tech, creative or traditional industries we must continue to grow our modern factories to create new jobs,” said United States Senator Chuck Schumer.

The Astrotower closed with Astroland in 2008. It has not operated since then, and is now owned and contained inside the new Luna Park. It got a fresh coat of paint last summer but nothing else has been done to it. So you might want to take that off the list.

It is unlikely, experts say, that tourists will visit more than one observatory. Downtown, the Statue of Liberty, the September 11 Memorial and Museum and Wall Street will vie with 1 World Trade Center for their attention.

Bah! When I come to NYC, I visit them all! (or I did, back in the 80s/90s, when it was the GE building, One World Trade Center, Empire State Building, and Statue of Liberty). Of course, I am a skyscraper geek.

__________________The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth GalbraithWe must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere.Elie Wiesel

Bah! When I come to NYC, I visit them all! (or I did, back in the 80s/90s, when it was the GE building, One World Trade Center, Empire State Building, and Statue of Liberty). Of course, I am a skyscraper geek.

That's the spirit...

I can't wait until the day I can get back to the top of the WTC and take in the view, then hop up to the Hudson Yards to experience the view from there, then over to the classics like 30 Rock and maybe (if time allows) the ESB deck. The ESB is the only challenge in this because of the wait time. The other, newer decks will help disperse some of that crowd, but I think the extra decks will mostly increase the amount of people going to decks. It will be a must have experience on visiting the City, with a variety of options, including the planned Staten Island Wheel, which will offer the best views over the harbor.

__________________NEW YORK. World's capital.

“Office buildings are our factories – whether for tech, creative or traditional industries we must continue to grow our modern factories to create new jobs,” said United States Senator Chuck Schumer.